Thursday, August 16, 2012

HOME TOUR - SO FAR

Welcome to my Home Tour! We've been here about 2 months now and things are really coming together. Of course this home will always be evolving. With very little time, and even less money, things take awhile around here.

EXTERIOR

This is the exterior of our home.

Complete with unruly hose.

Our very large shed. I would love to open a shop here someday.

The building on the left is our barn/garage/loft apartment. My lucky 20 (soon to be 21) year old son is the lucky tennant here. Photos will be coming soon, as we unveil our daughters very special birthday gift to her brother. Ughh, towels on the line, cars in the driveway. Well, this a place where life is happening. I will probably never have a perfect photo on here.

Well, don't just stand there, come on in! This is the entrance to our mudroom. I LOVE having a mudroom. Especially because along with a dirt driveway comes lots of mud!

I just made this flower basket for the mudroom door.

Entering the mudroom, you would think we live in a cabin. There is wood everywhere. The lower portion of the wall is in really rough shape. We will be doing something with this room in the future.

After leaving the mudroom, you enter the kitchen. We will be right back here after taking a quick detour.

Bathroom/Laundry Room

The door on the right is our half bath and laundy room. After sharing a laundry room with 24 families in our apartment building, I think this washer and dryer is my very favorite thing in our new house.

KITCHEN

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Back to our hodge podge kitchen. We have red cabinets and an oak hutch. Beige formica and gray granite countertops. White and stainless steel appliances. As I said, no perfection here, only a well loved home.

With that said, I do want to paint the cabinets and hutch a linen color. And eventually get all stainless appliances. And replace the countertops. And, yeah.

DINING ROOM

Here is the dining room. We bought the table set from the owners and I plan to paint it. We already had the rug. I have some great ideas for this room in the future.

HALL

Follow me down the hall. I love this entry way. I found the antique ironing board at a yard sale for $5.

The lantern, pullies, and large nails were found on the property. So were the flowers.

LIVING ROOM

And on into the living room. I love the brown leather and creamy pillows and blankets with all the wood.

I am trying to come up with a curtain solution. Boy are curtains expensive! The best price I have found is at Homegoods where I can get a pair of panels for about $20. The only problem is that it is hard to find enough to do a whole room.

I thought of making curtains, but it would cost more than $20 a pair, plus I have very limited sewing skills.

Bare windows do let in a lot of light.

This photo was taken from the office, which is actually in a nook in the living room. I have a NOOK in my living room. How cool is that?

LIVING ROOM AT NIGHT

OFFICE

DEN

This is our small den. It was originally painted red and had heavy curtains which made this room very dark. We were delighted to discover a sun-filled room!

We keep adding things faster than I can take a photo. Here is a wreath I hung from the mirror.

STAIRS

Now we'll head upstairs.

The view from the upstairs hall.

And this is the upstairs hall. Notice the blue painter's tape. It is a lovely touch.

MASTER BEDROOM﻿

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This is the master bedroom. It is quite small, but it is perfect for us. We have kept it very simple and uncluttered.

UPSTAIR'S BATHROOM

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This bathroom is nothing fancy, and that is just the way I like it. Plain, simple, clean. I painted it white. The knobs and light were spray painted a chrome metallic to match the rest of the room. I added a curtain rod and used the curtains the owner's left.

The tie-backs are burlap ribbon from Hobby Lobby.

This piece was a birthday gift from my kids. Kids that know their mom!

Someday we will replace the vanity and tub. But for now they get us as clean as new ones would.

MEGAN'S SUITE

Our 19 year old daughter Megan has two rooms. The first is her very own living room. She designed, shopped for, and paid for these rooms with just a little help from us. She also did almost all the work herself. I think she has great style!

Every 19 year old needs a coffee bar.

Looking into Megan's attic bedroom.

Dan's Loft Apartment

Dan just turned 21. For his birthday, Megan painted his apartment. She bought all the paint & supplies and went to work, while Dan was at work. How lucky is he to have a sister like that? ﻿

This loft is above the garage in the converted barn. It was painted a beige with PINK undertones. I heard it described on one blog as "swine". It had to go.

Dan wanted his place very "zen-like." He likes modern furnishings and cool colors. He works for Apple and Steve Jobs was very inspirational to him. I think he got it right!﻿

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Well, that concludes The Long Awaited Home Tour. There is much more to be done here but we are enjoying the journey so far.

I absolutely love saltboxes!! I so want to own one someday! By the way, your daughter is pretty amazing to have designed and paid for that very cool living room! It's gorgeous! She did a wonderful job and should be very proud of herself! :) Stopping by from It's overflowing.

Found your blog at Between Naps on the Porch Metamorphasis Monday. What a lovely home you have. You have done a terrific job decorating it so far. Can't wait to see what you do next. You mentioned you need inexpensive curtains for the living room. How about canvas drop clothes. They can be dyed, you can paint a design on them and they are cheap. They also come hemmed so all you need is drapery clips to hang them. A 6x9 drop cloth at Lowes runs around $5-6 dollars and would make two panels. Or check your local thrift stores for bed sheets. They too can be hung from drapery clips which means no sewing. Anyway, just a thought. Have a fabulous day.

Sheila, this is exactly what I was going to do. Several of my pillows were made from drop clothes. But I totally scored at Homegoods! Do you know how hard it is to find 4 pair of matching curtains there? I went from Homegoods, to TJMaxx, to Marshalls, and then to every one of them within 50 miles, and finally, when I had almost given up.....I walked into a Homegoods to find a birthday gift for my son (I know, Homegoods for my son? He has a loft apartment), and there, lo and behold, were 4 pair of MATCHING CURTAINS! In exactly the color and style I was looking for. $20 a pair! Yay me! (I hardly ever get that lucky). Anyway, thanks for taking the time to make the great suggestion. I think I may still make them for the kitchen!

Thanks Joselyn - I feel like I have been running a marathon for the last 2 months! I am very happy with what we have done so far though. Megan's room seems to be very popular, she really does have a good eye!

You have a beautiful home! Thanks for sharing it with us. I love all the wood and it is just so open and inviting! Megan has done a great job in her room too! Feel free to stop by and share at Gettin' Krafty With It this week:http://kraftykat76.blogspot.com/2012/08/gettin-krafty-with-it_27.html

I am visiting from Cozy Little House. I just love that old ironing board that you are using in your entry! What a clever idea. And I am loving those beautiful wood floors throughout your home. I hope one day you achieve your dream of turning that barn into a little shop!

Hi! This is the first time I've visited your blog! I WILL be back. I didn't take the time to read other reader's comments, and they may have suggested this already. But, have you thought of using drop cloth panels for your living room. They average about $10 a panel. They also have that rustic feel that your decor evokes. ♥ Becky in SC ♥

Hi Becky, It was suggested by Sheila too! I guess great minds think alike. Anywhoo, I was actually thinking this very same thing, until I came upon a great deal at Homegoods, and finally found 4 matching pair for $20 a pair. Not as cheap as the drop clothes, but I didn't have to sew! Thanks so much for the suggestion - and DO come back!

Thanks for the tour of your home. You have done a fantastic job of create g a cozy home in such a short time. There are many cute touches, like the ironing board used as a table. Very nice!---------- Shannon

I can't take much credit for the stripes Angie, it was my daughter's idea, and she did most of the work. I can brag about my excellent taping skills though! My daughter is actually much more of a risk-taker in decorating than I am! Glad you enjoyed the tour.

Oh my goodness, I am so embarassed Kim. I really didn't do this on purpose. I thought I added your button and was horrified to see I missed it. I guess I entered too many Linky Parties without knowing what I'm doing, while trying to learn blogging and working two jobs and fixing up a house. I am so, so, sorry. And your WOW Linky Party is awesome, I have had tons of views from it! Please forgive me?

Your new home is amazing. You said ugh about the outside but I think it's so pretty. The inside is great too...love those wood floors and all the decorating you've already done. We just moved into our house 3 months ago. It's a lot of work, isn't it!!

I am so happy for you, Gloria! What a beautiful home and yard you have, you have done a wonderful job decorating!(I think clothes on the line is a special touch. I've always loved it when I have been able to dry clothes outdoors, what a wonderful scent the fresh air gives things, and a homey look, too!) I hope you are able to open that shop you want someday. What fun!

You have a beautiful home. Warm and welcoming and filled with lovely things. The antique ironing board is a great find and the perfect hall table., Your daughter and sons space are wonderful too. Thank you for sharing. Hugs!P.S. I would love it if you would link this post to my hop tomorrow

I had bookmarked your site awhile ago so I have come back and visited this home tour. Which I enjoyed very much during my office lunchbreak. You have a lovely home, your daughter is very talented and my favorite is of course the blue painter tape. What a decorative touch : ) ha ha thanks for the tour :)

About Me

Though You have made me see troubles, many and bitter, You will restore my life again. Psalm 71:20. Making a home with my family in a house we waited for. After going through some tough times and living in an apartment for a couple of years, we hope we have found our forever home. At least until we reach that eternal long awaited home someday. Join my family and I as we make this house our home.